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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. bat — the animal
  4. bass — low music
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. pop — to visit
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. object — a thing
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. object — to protest
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. pop — soda
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. capital — money
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. capital — a city
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. object — an aim
  23. pop — music
  24. bat — for baseball

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com